Chapter 439 Sacrifice

The extremely cruel and fierce fighting lasted from noon to nearly evening and was about to end. The loud sound of artillery fire that resounded in the sky gradually came to an end along with the setting sun in the distance.

The extremely cold temperatures that are already bone-chilling during the day become even more penetrating into the soul when night falls.

The remains of the steel weapons and the corpses that exuded a burnt smell, which were constantly licked and roasted by the waves of scorching flames, also began to gradually cool down. The disgusting aroma of barbecue mixed with the smell of gunpowder that filled the cold air could not arouse even the slightest appetite. , after experiencing this life-and-death battle, Malashenko was sitting on the turret of his tank, smoking a cigarette that had no smell at all.

Despite paying a heavy price, the battle, which lasted for several hours and was littered with weapon wreckage and corpses, was finally won by the Soviet side. However, the huge price paid for this hard-won victory was in Mara. Shenke seems to have lost more than he gained.

Lieutenant Colonel Yakov died, sacrificing himself under the direct fire of a German No. 3 assault gun. His completely cold body lay on the snow just a dozen meters away from Malashenko, covered with a thin layer of snow. On the canvas, several Red Army soldiers who had wiped away their tears were sitting around the corpse not a few steps away without saying a word. This man who usually treated his subordinates as brothers but had a bad temper was always swearing. The death of comrade leader was too sudden.

It only took a few days from the moment they met, to fighting side by side with all their hearts, to the death of Lieutenant Colonel Yakov.

Malashenko, who was holding the last remaining cigarette butt in his hand and was about to burn his fingers, was completely unaware that the man who had called him brothers just a few hours ago and was as strong as a Siberian black bear actually died. .

Lieutenant Colonel Yakov's voice and smile seemed to be echoing in his ears. Malashenko couldn't believe it all. Thinking of the uncertainty about Kirill's life and death, he realized that he was likely to suffer from continuous pain in one day. Malashenko, who had lost two comrades in arms, could not help but feel lost in his eyes.

"Why don't you listen to the advice? Why don't you listen to the advice in one or two places!? The stupid boy got out of the escape tower without his life. Now even you, the lieutenant colonel leader, are willing to lower yourself to become a piece of shit. Captain Dare to Die! Why would you want to die if you could live? How come you don’t value your life so much!?

There was a manic cry in his heart like a stormy sea, but his hands couldn't stop trembling.

Malashenko, who had been burned by the cigarette butt, suddenly let go of the cigarette holder held by his fingertips with a shake of his right hand. The cigarette butt fell to the ground in a free fall, making a brief hissing sound and was instantly accumulated. Blood annihilation.

The red spark burning at the front of the cigarette was completely extinguished in an instant without even a trace of struggle. Malashenko, who witnessed all this with dull eyes, was speechless. He felt as if he had lost everything in the blink of an eye. The feeling of emptiness made Malashenko unconscious as if his soul had been stripped away.

I thought that I had been used to life and death on the battlefield, but my heart was as cold and indestructible as a steel rock.

But when Malashenko truly experienced the pain of losing his close comrades, the unprecedented feeling of tearing his soul apart came unexpectedly and swept through his whole body. Lieutenant Colonel Yakov, who talked about everything, regarded him as one of his own. Malashenko, who seemed to have lost everything in the blink of an eye, was no longer even in the mood to sigh.

He saw the pale expression of Malashenko sitting on the turret in a daze and remembered it in his mind. Lavrinenko, who had just replaced Malashenko to handle matters related to the placement and order of the troops at hand, immediately came up. One step earlier, it was he who led the heavy tank troops into the battle more than an hour ago that finally completely crushed the German army.

With his right hand covered in black leather gloves, he supported the side armor of the T3457 tank. Lavrinenko thrust his entire upper body upwards and jumped onto the tank body. He grabbed the edge of the turret with his left hand and immediately Pulling his body, he turned around and sat down next to Malashenko.

"I've heard that Yakov is dead, right?"

Malashenko, whose eyes were still empty as if his soul had been pulled out, did not comment on the words spoken by his old classmate and deputy beside him. He just nodded slightly.

"I remember him as a truly good comrade. Compared with those guys who just give a few orders casually in the field command post with a telescope in hand and a map behind his back, I have to say that people like Yakov treat me better. Appetite, to be precise, ours, right?"

According to common sense, Malashenko, who should have agreed and echoed Lavrinenko's words, remained silent with his eyes blank. Lavrinenko, who has worked hand in hand with Malashenko since school days, understood very well. The feeling in the heart of his old classmate, when his deskmate died tragically under the sword of the Polish, was the same as the scene Malashenko is experiencing now.

"Don't get yourself trapped, Malashenko, some things will eventually pass! Comrade Korchagin has survived so many tragic experiences, on the battlefield, in prison, in the hospital bed, and even He never wavered at the end of his life, why can't you be like him now? You are the leader of all of us!"

In this era of scarcity in material life and spiritual world, the only person Lavrinenko could think of who could inspire Malashenko at this moment was the almost perfect communist fighter in the spiritual world.

Malashenko, who has been fighting all the way so far, is so perfect on his way forward that Lavrinenko once had a glimmer of the illusion that he still knew Malashenko, the man he once knew so well. After meeting for a long time, his old classmate seemed to be a completely different person. Just being able to talk about the future ideas of the Red Army's tank troops with General Zhukov, who made him extremely nervous, was enough to shock him.

But when Malashenko experienced the double blow of Kirill being seriously injured and Yakov being killed in just one day, the painful and helpless expression that seemed to turn back time made Rav who witnessed this scene... Linenko finally felt as if he was once again on the starting line alongside Malashenko.

This Red Army tank hero who has gone too far and led everyone to fight all the way until now finally needs help.